Agents working at an inbound call center are in a unique position. No matter how well trained they are, they never know exactly what they will be dealing with until they answer the phone. After all, these agents and the issues they are handling are completely governed by the customer—who in most cases will also set the tone and tempo of the interaction, so agents need to be adaptable and flexible.

 

That said, there are a few primary services that are typically provided by inbound call centers. Here’s a look at what some of those are and some of what agents can expect when they pick up the phone.

 

  • Order Processing: Despite the fact that most purchases (apart from those made at brick-and-mortar stores) can be made online these days, there are still numerous situations in which customers may choose to call the company about their order. Perhaps something is going on with the online system and the order is time sensitive or they’ve placed an order online but need to change it somehow; both of these may merit a call. Perhaps they are trying to place a bulk order and they are unable to do so online. Whatever the circumstance may be, preparing agents for any and all forms of order processing is a great place to start.
  • Dispatch Services: Call centers that serve in a more internal-facing role for a company are likely handling some dispatch services. That includes making appointments, scheduling technicians and deliveries, working around people’s availability—essentially, anything to do with the movement of product or people. Companies in the energy and trucking sectors should prepare their agents to handle these tasks.
  • Help Desk Services: When most people think about an inbound call center this is what they think of—the customer service line. Customers have problems and questions and they are calling the company in hopes that someone will help them resolve their issues. Agents who work in this role should be prepared to deal with a wide variety of problems (unless the company has created a detailed IVR that sends customers to specialized teams of reps based on their specific inquiry). It is also critical that these agents are trained on how to modulate their tone and their delivery, as most people calling customer service are doing so because they are unhappy in some way.

 

The tools provided through CallShaper’s call center software help agents execute all of these services and more. For details on how, request a demo today.